22 comments:

My goodness. It's like looking through a time machine, Ann. You bear the most striking resemblance to my late grandmother when she was a young woman. (Be complimented, for she was a gracious and elegant person of real class.)

I've always seen a slight resemblance in the stills, but the video brings it to life. Now I'm a little sniffly.

I had forgotten how virulently anti-shorts on men you are. I hate shorts and have had a running battle with my wife who, for thirty-two years, has tried to get me to wear the stupid things. I will sometimes slip a pair on when I first wake up in the morning and when I go to the gym. Otherwise, I can't imagine why I would wear them. (Besides, I have chicken legs anyway.)

It's true how posting in a daily blog can just generate themes. Today, for no apparent reason, I started talking about chocolate, even though I don't have a sweet tooth or eat it all that much. But the interesting science articles today involved chocolate. Wouldn't that be much more fun to blog about than men wearing shorts? (I wear shorts all the time, I can't stand pants!)

If there's one thing I don't like about vlogging, it's that I have to sit and watch the whole thing. It stops when I click in to the comments. I can surf all over the place while I listen to a podcast, but the vlog requires I come to a complete stop. That's hard for me.

chuck b. hits why I use vlogs less (and watch bloggingheads a lo less than I'd like to). But here I am looking again.

Thoughts:1) in homage to Mickey Kaus, it really shouldn't be a little coffee cup but some obscenely huge Big Gulp of coffee if you can manage.

2) Visually nicer. You're just less in my face than the last vlog, however you've positioned things. Which is nice -- with bloggingheads I'm watching two people converse with each other so screw it if they fill up the space. With these things I'm sort of sitting silent in a discussion with you, and, I like you a little farther away, y'know? (Interesting experment: everyone knows about different cultures' different "personal space." See if it correlates with how far away people sit with the camera in vlogs.)

"I can surf all over the place while I listen to a podcast, but the vlog requires I come to a complete stop."

I've found that to be situation normal with one of these "vlogs"; particularly when the vlogger looks directly into the camera (as Ann's got the hang of now), it is very, very difficult to not stop what you're doing, to pay attention, and to look them in the eye. I think it's a reflex from watching TV news, but isn't that the whole point of vlogging? To look your audience directly in the eye and say your peace (and, for the audience, to look the vlogger in the eyeand hear what they have to say).

That's the problem with vlogs - regardless of minor complaints about windows and the like, they demand undivided attention.

I love the Vlogs, but I have to go on record. The term Vlog does not work. It sounds like Blog. Vee-Log works, but it's too technical. I don't know what the solution is. If I'm wrong, and Vlog becomes a word, I was just joking.

I am so charmed by your office set-up... every professor I've ever had has that giant wall of books. Is your office also seven feet wide and littered with Far Side cartoons? Do your windows also overlook a courtyard with vending machines? When you look outside the door, am I sitting on the floor patiently waiting to discuss my illustrated-stageplay-in-lieu-of-research-paper? I don't miss college that much, but I do miss visiting professors in their habitats.

Maxine: First of all, it will be my 40th high school reunion in 2009. Second of all, I've never heard of a high school reunion at my high school, and I've never been to any college, law school, or high school reunion. There are a lot of things I don't do.